Welcome Home from Vacation

 How I Try Not to Feel in the Doldrums After the Fun of Vacation Is Over

A home looks inviting in this illustration of an umbrella wreath at the front doorstep.

By Anna Krejci

Traveling home after a vacation can sometimes take all day and can be emotionally draining.  Sometimes it is overwhelming to think about all the work that awaits you.  I love having a free day at home the first full day that I am back from a trip, so I try to arrange my schedule to allow it.  Here are some ways that I unwind at home after enjoying a trip.  I’ve tried all of them, and I think they helped me adjust back to my routine.

After a long trip home, take the next day for yourself.  I use the time to sleep in, unpack, do laundry, write in my journal about my trip and sip refreshments.  My spouse usually picks up a flower bouquet for our home.

Delight in coming back to a clean home after your trip.  I clean our house before I go on a vacation, which includes putting clean sheets on the bed for an especially relaxing night’s sleep upon return.

Enjoy edible items you purchased while on your vacation.  On a trip to Michigan last fall, I bought cherry-and-chocolate-flavored coffee to brew at home.  The cherries were a product of Michigan; I imbibed while gazing at the frost outside one early fall morning.  I felt satisfied and grateful for my trip and at the same time glad to be back in my home kitchen.

Share vacation photos through social media with your friends and family or make a slide show and host friends for an evening when you present about your trip.  I find it is so much fun to share about traveling, and it is entertaining for my friends.

If you like, look up recipes of the foods you tried that were unique to your vacation destination and try making it at home within the first month of being back.  My spouse and I ate blueberry compote over pancakes at home after visiting Maine; that state is known for blueberries.

If you stay with close acquaintances, write thank-you notes to them.  I find that communicating helps me to relive good times.

Write down all the things you wanted to do on vacation but didn’t have time for this trip.  Keep it in a safe place and plan to revisit that destination.  You’ll have an itinerary ready to go.

Pick one thing that you did that was the highlight of your trip and write a positive review of it on Google Reviews or on another appropriate platform.  It is a kind thing to do.

Make a list of fun things you want to do in your town.  I plan something for the near future to remind myself how fun it is to be in my home city.

Read a novel or watch a movie that is set in a similar setting to your vacation spot.  If you visit a beach, look for novels with beach settings.  If you visited New York City, read a novel that took place in New York or some urban environment.  Staff at your local library might be able to recommend a good book or film for you based on settings.

Finally, I recommend going to bed early.  Rest helps.

Ending a vacation can leave me with a rainy-day mentality, but all the things I mention above make home so inviting – just like the umbrella floral wreath at the door.  I have found a way to fold up my umbrella so that it holds the thrills and frills of being at home.  I’m so lucky.